Dutch Shepherd Dog

The Dutch Shepherd Dog is a dog breed developed in the Netherlands for use as a herding dog. It is also known as the Hollandse Herder, the Dutch Shepherd and the Holland Shepherd.

Dutch Shepherd Dog Appearance

The Dutch Shepherd's body is rather muscular and symmetrical. The chest is deep. The dog's muzzle is long. The body is slightly longer than tall (at a ratio of 10 to 9). The Dutch Shepherd Dog comes in three varieties: short-haired, long-haired, and rough haired. Although the coat types vary, the permissible colours are the same in all these three types. The long-haired Dutch Shepherd is a rare variety. The short-haired variety is rather widespread in the Netherlands. The long haired and rough haired (or wire haired) types are less common than the short-haired.

There are two acceptable colours: silver brindle and gold brindle. Both are a standard brindle pattern, the difference being that gold brindle has a golden brown background while silver brindle has a grey background.

Dutch Shepherd Dog Temperament

The Dutch Shepherd is intelligent, loyal, has strong protective instincts, and excels as a guard dog. It tends to be dominant by nature, however once its trainer has the dog's respect it is very tractable and obedient, and because of its intelligence it responds very quickly to firm, consistent training methodes. Dutch Shepherds are often "one person" dogs, being the most loyal to just one person. However, they make good family dogs as they are playful, affectionate, and active.

The short-haired Dutch Shepherd is used extensively throughout Europe and the United States as a working dog, primarily in police service, although they are also used in search and rescue as well. One reason Dutch Shepherds are increasingly popular with police agencies is because they are smaller than German Shepherds, and therefore easier for handlers to pick up and carry, when duty necessitates doing so. The courage of Dutch Shepherds is quickly becoming legendary among police K9 handlers. Another reason for this increase in popularity is that the Dutch Shepherd breed has not been subject to extensive breeding for type as has the German Shepherd. This type of breeding can adversely affect the health and temperament of the individual dog as well as the breed. For example the preference for the German Shepherd's sloping back has resulted in a 10% incidence of hip dysplasia compared to a 1% incidence found among the Dutch Shepherd breed.

Dutch Shepherds are very active dogs. They need an activity to do in order to be happy, and easily become bored and destructive. They have a strong "work ethic", constantly wanting to work and move. Thus, it is exceptionally suited for all types of dog sports, particularly schutzhund, competitive obedience, agility, flyball, and sheepdog trials. The Dutch Shepherd is also used as a police dog and a sniffer dog in Europe. It makes an excellent guard dog, and is loyal, detirmined, and brave when it feels that its master is threatened.

The long-haired version needs to be groomed about once a week, or more frequently depending on work and environment. Over-bathing this breed should be avoided to prevent dryness in the coat which may cause the dog to chew or scratch.